FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

Saudis Bomb Yemen School Bus, Killing Dozens—and Claim It Was a Legitimate Target

Aug. 10 , 2018 (EIRNS)—Saudi Arabia has committed yet another outrage against Yemen Aug. 9, this time with an air strike, or air strikes, in Saada province which hit a school bus traveling through a market square, killing some 43-50 people and wounding up to 77. About half of the victims were children.

“Our shops were open and shoppers were walking around as usual. All of those who died were residents, children and shop owners,” eyewitness Moussa Abdullah, who was being treated in hospital for wounds, told Reuters. The International Committee of the Red Cross posted a tweet that its medical team at the ICRC-supported hospital in Saada had received the bodies of 29 children, all under 15 years old. The hospital also received 48 wounded people, among them 30 children. Reports from other hospitals were not available at this time. Abdul-Ghani Sareeh, from the Saada health department, told Reuters: “A bus carrying children was targeted today while they were coming from summer school, resulting in 43 martyrs and almost 63 wounded.” Johannes Bruwer, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen tweeted that most of the victims were under 10 years of age.

The Saudis claimed that the strike was legitimate and accused the Houthis of using civilians as human shields.

The Saudi cover may be vanishing, however, as even the U.S. urged Riyadh to investigate the attack.

“We are certainly concerned about the reports that there was an attack that resulted in the deaths of civilians. We call on the Saudi-led coalition to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident,”

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said yesterday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated, “A thorough and comprehensive investigation of these tragic incidents is essential,” and stressed:

“We continue to believe the speedy cessation of bloodshed in Yemen and the settlement of all existing disagreements at the negotiating table ... is the only reasonable way to put an end to the suffering of peaceful Yemenis.”